Chicken, Yam, and Chard Soup (one pot soup)

I got the idea for this recipe from sara from lifewithladniers. So, she made this soup and I had to make it too. So good, hearty, and healthy. The day I planned to make it, I had to track down chard. Nobody carried it that day, so I went to Kaysville and found it at Bowmans. I was very determined to get chard to make this soup. And it was worth the drive to get the chard.
Ingredients
1 bunch of chard, chopped with stems
2 T. Olive oil
1 yam, peeled and cubed
1 pound chicken thigh meat, chopped
2 carrots chopped
1 bunch of green onions chopped with whites too
1/2 c. Chopped onion
1 jalepeno pepper, seeds removed, and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. Oregano
1/2 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Sea salt, divided
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 fresh lemon
4 c. Vegetable broth reduced sodium
6 c. Water
In deep pot, add oil and saute carrots, pepper, garlic until translucent. Add thyme and oregano.
Meanwhile, add 1/2 tsp and 1/4 tsp. To chicken, mix well. Add chicken to pot and cook until tender.
Add broth and water and everything else to pot, along with chard and chopped stems. Add remaining salt and pepper. Simmer 20 min. Add fresh lemon juice to individual servings. Enjoy!! :)

Avocado Lime Quinoa

I made this avocado lime quinoa salad tonight for dinner. I bought two bags of quinoa at Costco, and I am already half way through the second bag. Yes siree, I eat lots of quinoa, almost everyday. I eat it cooked in chicken stock, with lemon pepper seasoning and dried cilantro. There are many recipes on this blog with quinoa.

1 1/2 c. Quinoa. You can use a rice cooker to cook it also. Cook with lid on stove on low heat. Keep the lid on and let cook for app. 20 min or so. Check it often and stir. It will be very fluffy and light when cooked properly.
Meanwhile do this:
Chop 1/2 c. Red pepper
"" "" "" "" cucumber
"" "" "" "" tomatoe
"" "" "" "" "" avocado
1/4 c chopped scallions
Set aside
Open can of black beans and set aside.
Now do this:
Add 3 T. Olive oil
"" 2 T. Red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. Salt
"" """ pepper
Juice of one lime
Whisk this dressing with fork, then mix cooled quinoa with veggies and black beans. Toss in dressing and then stir all together. Let chill in fridge 15 min before serving. Serve with dried cilantro and fresh lime juice on top (if desired).

Indian Curry (My Way)

I eat a lot of Indian Curry, like once a week if I can. I wanted to share this recipe. It's so quick and easy.

2 c. rice of choice cooked in rice cooker while curry is being prepared
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 can cocunut milk
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. chopped chicken or shrimp
dried cilantro (optional)

In medium saucepan, cook meat until done. Add chopped onions and cook on medium until onions tender. Add tomatoes and cocunut milk. Stir and then add all other seasonings. Simmer for 10 min. on low. It is supposed to be thin, so don't worry. Pour over rice and you are good to go.
dried cilantro on top (optional)

Agave

My mom introduced this product to me. I was excited to learn that this all natural sweetner can be used to replace white table sugar. Agavve grows mainly out in the desert, and the beauty of this sweetener is that it has a low glycemic index, which makes it absorb more slowely in the body, preventing spikes in blood sugar. We all know that excess white table sugar can cause hyperactivity, obesity, and poor attention spans, just to name a few, but this product, which comes from the heart of the agave plant and is 100% in it's natrual state, has not been refined like sugar has, meaning it's pure honest to goodness better for you.

I use this as a substitution when I bake, using this in place of sugar. It is also sweeter then sugar, so you don't need as much. It's perfect for trying to ween my husband off his sugar addiction he has. I love that I can use this product and my husband doesn't know the difference. And when we have children, I will use this product instead since I will be raising them sugar-free. I love that this product is delicious and nobody can tell the difference between white table sugar and this. I highly recommend this product for better health for your family. You can purcahse this off amazon, at Costco, or any healthfood store.

Restore Your Hair With Mayo

We have all seen the expensive hair treatment creams you can buy at the store. Here is a simple, inexpensive way to treat damaged hair. Mayo! Mayo contains a lot of protein from eggs that stregthens the cuticles of your hair shaft, making your hair stronger, healthier, shinier, and youthful. You can use mayo on your hair up to three time a week or more, depending on how damaged your hair is. To do this, you will need these items:

1. Mayo or light mayo

2. comb

3. towel

First you need about 1 c. of mayo to disrubute evenly in your dry hair. More needed if longer hair. Comb, the mayo into your hair and put the towel around you to allow the hair to freely hang down while you are combing the mayo through your hair. Leave on for 30 min. and wash out.

If you choose to wash your hair first, you can disrubute the mayo on washed, wet hair as well and leave on for 30 min. Either way works.

I also wanted to share with you some more beauty tips for making your own facial masks from home. click this link to view about 25 recipes for homemade facial masks.

http://beauty.about.com/od/skinflaws/a/facemasks.htm

Did I just hear hear that dark chocolate is good for you, even recommended for your health, even recommended to eat daily. Yeah!!!!!!!!! I love deep, rich, dark chocolate, and this is the very chocolate I am eating right now. I love the extra dark, 85% chocolate. Lindt brand is my favorite. I love the pure taste of cocoa. Rich in anti-oxidents, and great for your skin, this dark chocolate is sure to be the dessert of choice for me.

Music

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I have played several musical instruments over the years because of my passion for music. I remember taking harp lessons and practicing harp hours on hours of the day. I remember ar byu practicing the piano so often I actually became confident to play in public. I remember duets with my dad, us playing violin and viola. I remember singing in huge choirs and private voice lessons. I remember playing in the orchestra at BYU. I love music, but I also love dance. Not only is music and dance enjoyable, but I have researched the benefits of music on a human brain. A holistic doctor once told me about how even snowflakes, seen under a microscope change into different formations when different music is played. Soothing music has greatt benefits for feeling inner peace within the body. Lately, I have turned to music since we don't have television. I make sure relaxing music is playing all around me, and love doing my yoga while listening to relaxing music. Take time to allow music that you enjoy to play in your home daily, you will truly love it.